Emperor Shōmu
Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇 Shōmu Tennō) (701 - May 2, 756[citation needed]) was the 45th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was the son of Emperor Mommu and Fujiwara no Miyako, a daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito. Shōmu's aunt and predecessor, Empress Genshō, gave him the throne when she abdicated in 724. In, 749, Shōmu himself abdicated in favor of his daughter, Empress Kōken, but continued to control the government.
Shōmu is mainly remembered for commissioning the sixteen-meter high statue of the Vairocana Buddha in the Tōdaiji Temple of Nara. At the time, this was such a massive undertaking that later chroniclers accuse him of having completely exhausted the country's reserves of bronze and precious metals. The former emperor personally painted in the statue's eyes at the opening ceremony in 752 and declared himself a servant of the three treasures: the Buddha, Buddhist teachings and the Buddhist community, making this the closest anyone ever came to declaring Japan a Buddhist nation. He likewise established the system of provincial temples.
Shōmu is also known as the first emperor whose consort was not born into the imperial household. His consort Kōmyō was a Fujiwara woman. The two had a son who died in childhood.
Notes
- Japanese dates correspond to the traditional lunisolar calendar used in Japan until 1873. May 2, 756 of the Japanese calendar corresponds to June 4, 756 of the Julian calendar.